many people did a double take and seeing you wear the boston stands shirt. and they were smiling. you know, i've got to be honest, as we've been here for days, typically what people are doing behind me is crying. they're overwhelmed by the things they're seeing here, member more yaorials and shoes s from other countries. it is nice to bring the positive. >> we were having a lunch for the last couple of days here the great restaurants here, all of the places that were greatly affected, their business affected. it's important that people know that they can company down here, it's safe, businesses are ready and happy and the food's awesome. so it's just important to get the word out that you know, boston strong, you know, i kind of feelikee're all ah. >> it's important that everybody be supportive as they can. >> what is your plan for the rest of the day? >> we're going to beth israel hospital later. and then i'm going to go see the

s.w.a.t. guys in their debrief, ones i didn' myesterday. i'm going try to get back to spalding and try to meet adrien's husband, he had been discharged. we're trying to organize it so i can go and meet him. >> good news, i can break to you, and viewers at same time we get an update condition for all of those affected remaining in the hospital. every day on this blackberry i've been watching the condition of one of the victims who remains in critical, today's the first day the update came from the hospital, no one is in critical condition any longer. >> well yesterday, when we were at boston hospital, i met a man who -- his name is john, had been in the bombing, didn't lose limbs but seriously injured. he flatlined in the first surgery. and it took a long time to get him back. and then he woke up two days ago for the first timing. and we spent some time with him

and his wife yesterday in the hospital room and he's going to do okay. he's going to pull through. >> a memory of what happened? >> it's been extraordinary how all -- every person that i've met who was in and affected by the bomb itself in the hospital, their memory of it is incredibly clear. i don't think anyone surprisingly, really went unconscious for more than a few seconds. they remember everything. some things of course they don't want to remember. but what they do remember, and you know i remember roseanne saying to me, she still doesn't know who the guy was who got under her arms and lifted her up and helps carry her to an blo ambulance. she doesn't know who the guy is. she wishes she did. i said you'll probably run into him at some point. >> any other great stories? >> all of the boston police that i've met over the last couple of days who were prepared, you know, i suppose in any kind of law enforcement situation, they

are aware of the fact that if they're going to hit us, they're going to hit us at the finish line. and they were ready and prepared, and when it happened they moved. and you know, they would say they're just doing their bs. for those of us on the outside who saw that extraordinary thing of, you know, them running into it, it's just incredible. i think -- i don't want to get too political but it's a shame they've been working without a contract for a number of years now and i think it' that the police in the city deserve to have a contract. >> by the way, i'm assuming you got the same response we got when we talked to the ploifs, they all deflect hero simple, we're dounion guys, we're not heros. >> that's an incredibly professional thing to say. certainly with the doctors and nurses and surgeons i met yesterday, one thing they won't admit, a, they're tired and, b, emotionally affected by it. i think that just to sort of go and lift their spirits has been

really, for me, the whole reason i came. i'm really glad i came. >> a guy, a non sequitur, bobby deangelo, we interviewed him yesterday provides product for fenwayark and has a storet sells ball caps that say "boston strong dw strong." they have the logo of the boston red sox. sole over 500,000 in the last -- certainly the last eight days. sold a remarkable amount of hats 100% of proceeds going to the one fund. >> great. >> what we remarks on the most he's positive and smiling and a happy personality. it makes a huge difference in a story like this. here you are, the same actor who shows up unannounced, you've got to feel that's happening. >> people might be surprised how much the victims themselves are smiling. and surrounded by friends and surrounded by great doctors and

supp it's one thing for the professionals to understand that these kind of things might happen and thank goodness that they did all of the drills. they're incredibly happy they proves they can do it. the emotional terrain is something they're probably not prepared for. everybody needs to understand that and remember first responders saying it's just our job, you know, they're humans like all of us and they need to be supported and need to allow themselves to sometimes if you admit that you're feeling sad or having a bad moment, you know, when you let's it out, you own it. and i think there's a lot of people in the town that are owning it. >> by the way, the guy who's administrating one fund, meeting with victims next week, a lot, who gets what sort of compensation from the roughly $30 million that's been raised, he mentions this morning, with chris cuomo, my colleague at cnn, there are r hf dozen double amputees and another approximately half dozen

single amputees. i'm sure you've come in contact with a couple of the people. >> i'm really glad that a number of the wounded warriors who have found themselves in similar situations have tooston and visited with the victims because i've been to walter reed. it's one thing when you're a soldier, you know, and i suppose to some degree you know going into that profession and serving in the military that it is possible you'll get your leg blown off. so they prepare for it and they understand it.for, you know, a son, a father who came out to cheer on a family relative or friend, to suddenly find themselves in a situation they could never imagine. >> no preparation. >> they're not prepared for it. so i think it's really valuable that these extraordinary soldiers have walks into their hotel rooms and said, look at me, i'm independent, i run in a marathon, i have incredible mobileabilty and flexible.

i wednesday to waller reid, the attitudes, the spirit is incred. >> they're putting in the t titanium arm, i've got to get back to my unit. >> a job to do. >> that's the spirit that will keep everyone going. you know it's been incredible to be here. this is a beautiful city, a beautiful day. we've got to mov on and move forward and embrace as many people as we can. >> in that effort, small known secret the big star of the netflix "house of cards" and brought the dvds. >> i didn't bring dvds. b subscriptions to netflix. i brought six-month subscriptions and gave them to people. i have to thank jeffrey katzenburg and paramount for providing me with 250 dvds of "american beauty" i've been passing those out, too. netflix and jeffrey and paramount have been incredibly kind. >> for people watching, inspires

to give, they need a lot of work, months, years, decades. onefundboston.org. >> all of you on social network, retweet it. >> thank you for doing this. i know you're in the middle of -- >> we all walks over from the boston athletic association together. a lot haven't had a chance to be here, they've been so responding to everybody that they need to respond to. there's a lf runrs that suddenly got stopped. so there's a lot that they had to deal with. we've come over today with all of them and they've been pretty happy to get here today. >> great of you to stop by. hooks on to a microphone. don't leave right away. kevin spacey joining us live. you saw him over the weekend, he was a headliner in one of the videos of the cocorrespondents in washington, d.c. wolf blitzer was there. he was watching that live. he joins us live to continue coverage. wolf, i'll toss it over to you.

>> ashleigh, thanks very much. thank kvevin for all of our viewers. president obama faces serious questions about the pressing issues in the was around the world from bombings in boston to the war in syria. the president a few moments ago, as you saw live on cnn, wrapped up a news conference with reporters in the white house briefing room. on the war in syria, evidence that chemical weapons were used. the president say his wants to make sure he has all of the facts before taking any direct, new action. >> if i can establish in a way that not only the united states but also the international community feel confident is the use of chemical weapons by the assad regime, then that is a game changer because what that portends is potentially even more devastating attacks on civilians and it raises the

strong possibility that those chemical weapons can fall into the wrong hands. >> let's dig deeper now. gloria borger, she watched the news conference with all of us. the president is walking a very fine line, a sensitive line, on this truly explosive issue of syriaally using chemical weapons against its own people and how the u.s. will respond. >> well, of course, he is wolf, because he's already said if we discover that the syrian government has actually been using chemical weapons, and that would be what he calls a game changer. but he was so careful today, wolf, to say he doesn't know the chain of custody of this. he's got to make sure that he's got the facts. we don't know how the weapons were used, who used them, and he said, as commander in chief, he's got to figure that out first. then, wolf, he said, once they discover the facts, he would have to, quote, rethink the

range of options available to the united states. he did not specify, wolf, whether military options are among those options that he's got on the shelf. he did talk about what he called a spectrum of options, so you see, wolf, he's clearly wasn't going to be railroaded into this at this point, wanting to make sure that he had all of the facts before making a decision about exactly what the game change would be, if it were warranted. >> lots of news at the news conference with the president on the investigation of the boston marathon bombings he strongly defended the fbi, despite serious criticism from various members of congress including senator graham. he said mr. graham is not right on this issue. this issue is only just beginning, as a political football, if you will, because there are serious differences between the president on the one hand and senator graham and several other republicans on the

other hand. >> right. senator graham and other republicans are saying that the government did not connect the dots properly, to use that phrase. and it took about a nanosecond for senator graham to issue a press release responding to the president, and he said, with all due respect, mr. president, benghazi and boston are compelling examples how our national security systems have deteriorated on your watch. the president said that intelligence did what it needed to do. he was also, i thought, careful not to criticize the russians, although he did say, quote, suspicions remain between our government and the russian government because we also understand that the fbi went to the russian government asking for more information and did not get it back. one other little piece of information we learned here was that the russians, he said, had

told us not only about the elder brother, but also about the brother's mother who somebody that they're clearly looking at, wolf. >> we'll continue to follow up on some of the news that emerges from the president's press conference over at the white house throughout this hour, the next hour. certainly later in "the situation room" as well. gloria, thanks very, very much. other important news we're working on this hour, as well. including amanda knox, she's opening up about the year she spent in an italian prison. she says it could have happened to anyone. we can start losing- 8% every 10 years. wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft.

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let's get you up to speed on the latest developments in the boston terror investigation. federal agents right now they're trying to determine if there's a link between the dead suspected bomber and this man, william plotnikov, a canadian boxer turned jihadist killed a year ago in a shootout with russian troops. the fire foot happened in the same region that tamerlan tsarnaev was visiting. he returned to the u.s. quickly thereafter. tsarnaev's widow, meanwhile, catherine russell, coming under

closer scrutiny. investigators have taken dna samples and items from her parents' home in rhode island, compare the samples to a female dna found on a fragment of one of the pressure cooker bombs used in the boston attack. the wounded bombing suspect, the younger one, dzhokhar tsarnaev, now is a prominent attorney on his defense team, another one. a lot of attorneys now, but among others, judy clark, she's just joins the team. represented defendants in some of the most high-profile death penalty cases in recent years, including the arizona mass shooter, jared loughner, atlanta olympic bomber eric rudolph and unabomber, ted kaczynski. all received life in prison instead of the death penalty. joe johns is working this part of the story. you're getting new information. i suspect by judy clarke coming in, that seems to be a signal they're going to do whatever they can to avoid the federal death sentence for this suspect, joe?

>> reporter: that would certainly make sense, and obviously in death penalty cases that is generally the way the story goes, wolf. what we can tell you, though, is that we do know preliminary talks have been under way for a while, perhaps the last several days to -- between the justice department and the defense team to try to, at the very least, open up the door so the surviving suspect, dzhokhar tsarnaev, can actually restart conversations with investigators and obviously, as a part of that, wolf, the question would be whether the death penalty could be taken off of the table. quite frankly, at this stage, the justice department has not said whether it will pursue the death penalty in the boston bombings cases. however, taking it off the table would pave the way for, you know, some type of a life

sentence presumably for an individual. that's the kind of thing that might be thrown into the negotiation so that talks could continue with the suspect, wolf. >> so, can we call that, joe, you're an attorney, you went to law school, could we call that, at this preliminary very early stage, potentially a plea bargain? in other words, he'll plead guilty if he doesn't get the death sentence, plead guilty, get life in prison without the possibility of parole? you think the federal prosecutors, the u.s. attorneys, would be willing to enter a plea bargain deal at this early stage with this guy in exchange for his supposed full cooperation? >> reporter: i absolutely think it's premature to say that, wolf, at this stage. the defense team has not signaled they're ready to make any deal. and the justice department has not even said whether it will consider the death penalty when this individual presumably were to go to trial. but we do know all of these

things are issues that have to be considered and we also know that one way to get this individual to restart his conversations with investigators is some type of conversation about taking that death penalty issue off of the table. these are very preliminary discussions. and all of that will form somewhere down the road in all likelihood, wolf. >> i assume eric holder, attorney general, and other u.s. attorneys who might be involved in this would want to speak with relatives, survivors, get their opinion, before they were to make any such plea deal with this suspect right now. it's obviously a sensitive issue, if they were to take the death penalty off the table right now. i know, joe, you're working this story for us throughout the day. and of course, in the days to come. joe johns reporting for us. meanwhile, tamerlan tsarnaev's widow is under more scrutiny today as the investigation moves forward.

catherine russell's lawyers were there when investigators searched her family's home in north kingston, rhode island. joining us from outside russell's attorney's office in providence not too far away. what can you tell us about the search? what have you learned? >> reporter: well, wolf, as you know, yesterday afternoon a team of about five fbi investigators carried out what looked to be an evidence gathering equipment from the russell home. one of those things was a dna samples bag, and a few other things that we now know that the fbi was testing for katie russell's dna. there are not yet been any katie russell sightings today, however, it is possible, very likely, that katie russell is here inside her attorney's office. we know her attorneys have been tied up inside that office since about 9:00 this morning. and the other thing, wolf, is there are a number 0 of unmarked law enforcement vehicles swarming and monitoring the area as they have been doing at the

russells' home for the past week or so in north kingstown, rhode island. the other thing, wolf, is that one of those investigators, or federal officials, rather, inside the russell home yesterday entered the attorney's office here 90 minutes ago. >> we'll stay in close touch with you, as well. erin mcpike working this part of the story. more on the boston terror investigation, more on president's news conference this morning. other news we're following, called a temptress and a she-devil. now amnda knox speaking out, telling her story. spokesman rtising i have to look my best on camera. whether i'm telling people about how they could save money on car insurance with geico... yeah, a little bit more of the lime green love yeah... ...or letting them know they can reach geico 24/7 using the latest technology. go on, slather it all over. don't hold back, go on it's these high-definition televisions i'll tell ya' they show every wrinkle.

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follow up on the president's news conference. at one point, over at the white house, the president specifically in response to a question from our own jessica yellin, the president specifically said senator lindsay gray lagraham of south carolina is not right on this issue, referring to the criticism that senator graham has levelled against the obama administration for the build-up to what happened in boston. also, on the benghazi killings

in libya as well. senator graham is joining us on the phone right now. he's in phoenix, arizona. did you have a chance, senator graham, i assume you did to hear the exchange between jessica yellin and the president at the news conference? >> yes, somebody played it back for me. i have to say, wolf, with all due respect to the president, we've had eight americans killed in the last seven months by radical islamists, four in benghazi, four in boston and i think our systems are degrading and i stand by that statement. it's not like i relish saying that. i think it's true. and benghazi, multiple warnings were coming out of our ambassador stevens. request for security was denied. the consulate became a death trap for 7 1/2 hours, nobody could come to the aid of the people under attack. susan rice told the narrative it

didn't hold water. it wasn't a spontaneous event by video. boston got its problems too. >> this is the president speaking at news conference responding to jessica yellin's question. >> lindsey graham, senior member of the armed services committee said that benghazi and boston are both examples of the u.s. going backwards on national security. is he right? and did our intelligence miss something? >> no, mr. graham is not right on this issue, although i'm sure it generated some headlines. you know i think that what we saw in boston was state, local, federal officials, every agency, rallying around a city that had been attack ed, identifying the perpetrators just hours after the scene had been examined.

we now have one individual deceased, one in custody, charges have been brought. i think that all of our law enforcement officials performed in an exemplary fashion after the bombing had taken place and we should be very proud of their work. >> very proud of the work. senator graham, you want to directly respond this this part of what the president said? >> absolutely. great work by the boston police department. great courage by the boston people, all of the police organizations in the boston area, the fbi to catch the guy afterwards. the fbi had a photo of the suspect and i still don't know why that didn't ping the system to say we've already talked to him. my concerns are what happened before. he was interviewed in 2011, the older brother was, got a warning letter from the russian

intelligence service from the ci. a in november, goes back to russia and dagestan and they have him leaving and coming but they don't share the information with fbi, cia, he's never interviewed. they never share this guy's presence with the boston cell tracking terrorists in the boston area. when he comes back in june of 2012, he goes on a youtube channel, website, on the internet for the whole world to see and embraces radical islam, a guy in the system suspected to be a radical islamist is on the web inside the united states embracing radical islamist ideology and the rest is history. so, this is stove piping. the fbi and the cia not being informed of his travels back to russia, when he gets on the website, nobody comes back to him and says, listen, 2011 you said you loved america, you wanted to be an olympic boxer. what are you doing now

interacting with the radical islamic websites? our systems are failing, in my view. >> the argument that some administration officials have made is that the fbi, after they got that initial tip from russian intelligence back in 2011, and the president specifically said the russian intelligence agency alerted the u.s. to the older brother and mother, the president said today, and mother as well, potentially being sympathizers, the president then said they did, the fbi, they went out and interviewed the older brother, tamerlan tsarnaev, and the mother, and after their investigation they came up with nothing. so they closed that file. so what are you saying? that was a blunder there, is that what you're saying, they didn't do a good job in the interview? >> no, i'm saying they did a reasonable job in the interview. they took a warning letter from the russian intelligence service, interviewed the older brother, opens up a case file, and in november, the cia gets the same warning letter and they

enter this guy into the tide system the terrorist data bank, once he goes back to russia, dhs picks up tfact the system pings and the fbi and cia are never informed about his trip to russia, that goes back to pre-9/11 mentality of information. would have been known he went back to russia. i'm disappointed in the russians. but that's no excuse for us not being able to track a guy in our system who goes back to one of the most radical parts of the world, and when he comes back and starts embracing radical islam for the world to see, how did we miss that? obviously we've got a lot of things to do in terms of post mar dem to fix our system so people like this when they come back to america from russia and start embracing radical islamic ideology we visit them and say, in 2011 you said you loved this country, wanted to be an olympic

boxer for this country what are you doing now on these websites? by the way, what did you do in russia? when did you go back? >> the president did say, in the news conference, that based on what i've seen so far, and i'm paraphrasing what the president said, he believes the fbi and the department of homeland security did what they were supposed to do. he did acknowledge that the director of national intelligence, the dni, director clapper, has begun a full review of what happened to make sure important lessons are learned. so if there were mistakes, they are not repeated down the road. i assume, senator, you support that kind of investigation. do you support the dni director clapper conducting this investigation or do you think there should be an independent commission of inquiry along the lines of the 9/11 commission to take a look and study what happened? >> i think it's a joint select committee that congress should relook at benghazi because there

are people now alleging they want to come forward but are afraid to do so when it comes to boston, we need a joint select commit c. to look at fbi, cia, homeland security. system did not work as designed. when he left to go back to russia, the system pinged at dhs and in were supposed to share the information with the fbi and the cia. . center in boston was supposed to be made aware you've got a guy we looked at in the boston area. again, i'm glad that clapper's going to do an investigation. but congress, quite frankly has been less than strong when it comes to investigating benghazi and boston. i hope we will do our own independent investigation. it's not so much about blaming people as to get it right. we've lost eight americans, seven months, four overseas, four at home, bin laden's dead, radical islamism. clearly the system did not work the way they're supposed to.

i'm shocked this happened after 9/11, where people no longer talk to each other. i thought we had gotten over that. >> senator graham, thanks for joining us. senator lindsay gray lamb, republican senator from south carolina, key member of the armed services committee. obviously unhappy and displeased with what the president had to say about him specifically earlier in the day at the news conference. we'll take a quick break. much more of our coverage of the boston terror investigation, all the day's other news when we come back. çtoooowl

let's get to the side of the amnda knox story we haven't heard before, her side. the italian supreme court ruled amanda knox should stand trial again for the murder of roommate meredith kercher. she already served four years after being convicted in one of most-watched trials ever. when that conviction was reverses by an appeals court in

italy, she headed home to seattle and hasn't looked back. now, she's got a new book coming out telling her side of the story and talking about how she felt being tabloid fodder day after day during her trial. here what happens she told abc's diane sawyer. >> i was in the courtroom when they were calling me a devil, i mean, it's one thing to be called certain things in the media and it's another thing to be sitting in a courtroom fighting for your life while people are calling you a devil. for all intents and purposes, i was a murderer, whether i was or not. >> joined by the rome bureau chief for "newsweek" and "the daily beast" and for of "angel face" a book about the ammanda knox case. you've read the new book by amanda phlox. what did you think? >> you know, i thought it was a

good read. it was important, i think, in a case that everybody thinks they know to hear from one of the main protagonists and she gave a voice to herself finally. we find out a little bit about her, she was very candid, well-written, well edited, a quick read. she answered a lot of questions. but not a lot of news breaking i would say in the book, by any means. >> any details in there that could hurt her, either personally or legally, as another trial gets off the ground in italy? >> well, i think definitely there's some information, some accusations against the police, prison guard whose she said, you know, sexually harassed her and treated her badly. some information, i think, accusations, loosely, i'd say, loosely credited accusations how the prosecutor handled the case and things like that. i think all of those given the context she has another trial to

face, she has to retry the appellate process, it is the appellate process that would overturn in the last court hearing a month ago. you know, she does face a little bit of scrutiny, i'm sure when court comes around and they'll look at some of the things she said in this particular case. personally, as well, very candid -- >> go ahead. >> candid about her sex life. she wrote a lot about the men that she had relationships with in her first days in perugia. confirmed rumors floating around in the tabloids, which i'm not sure necessarily good for her reputation, if she was trying to clean that up a little bit. she certainly admitted to being like a lot of college students are, i guess, fairly proms miscuous at the university of perugia. >> if promiscuous, it doesn't mean you're a murderer. that's the point, i suspect, she's trying to make. the worst-case scenario, another

trial to take place, do you think it's realist, she would go back to italy to stand trial? >> well, in italy the suspects defendants do not have to attend trial. th there's no legal point, anything to do to be here. if reconvicted of the murder of meredith kercher and if the high court passes that off and agrees with it, it's possible she could be extradited. i'm sure she and her lawyers in the united states would fight any any extradition. there's a valid agreement between italy and the united states, in terms of extra decision and serving prison time. realistically, yes, if convicted and that conviction is upheld she could serve time in italian president. whether that happens or not, we don't know, that remains to be seen. i'm sure there's a lengthy legal battle. >> all right, barbie, thanks very much. perspective on the new book by

amanda knox. more of what we're working on. high cost of medical care, talking about $50,000 and that's just the initial cost that some of the victims of the boston bombings will face. it doesn't include rehab, lost wages, or prosthetics. [ chainsaw buzzing ] humans. sometimes, life trips us up. sometimes, we trip ourselves up. and although the mistakes may seem to just keep coming at you, so do the solutions.

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welcome back. i'm wolf blitzer in washington. boston's one fund has raised about $30 million for the victims of the terror attack in boston. but our carol costello reports that may not be enough to cover the medical care many of the 260 wounded victims will need once their insurance maxes out especially those who have lost limbs. >> reporter: as inspirational as the boston marathon victims are they need every ounce of courage in the months to come. a ballroom dance instructor who

lost her foot, she is determined to dance again. >> dancing is the one thing that i do and i said, this many times, dancing is one thing that i do when i do it, i don't feel like i should be doing anything else ever. >> reporter: technology is expensive. upwards of $100,000 for the best prosthetic foot money can buy. adrien's friends have started raising money. ♪ >> reporter: and abc's "dancing with the stars" is stepping up, too. >> she vows to dance again. we plan to be there throughout her recovery. >> reporter: but not every victim is as fortunate. j.p. and paul both lost their right legs, both construction workers. their uncle, peter brown, told the "wall street journal," when this thing is in the history books, are these guys going to be in good shape and able to fend for themselves? that's what i worry. consider the cost. insurance analysts say medical costs will total at least $50,000, that does not include

rehabilitation or lost income or prosthetic legs which cost between $10,000 and $100,000. and have to be replaced every three to five years. >> it's so important we keep those affected by this tragedy our number one priority. >> reporter: boston's mayor and the massachusetts governor have established the one fund to help victims and donations have flooded in. in just under two weeks, they've collected $27 million, from 75,000 donors. average gift, $65. challenge now, deciding how much money each victim gets to get on with their lives. actually, wolf, one fund is up to $30 million. i talked with the administrator of the fund, ken feinberg, he'll hold two public hearings to decide how to distribute the money. a major initiative will be to lower expectations. back to you, wolf. >> carol, thanks very much. carol costello in boston. emotions run high in a small

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george zimmerman, the man who admits to killing trayvon martin, back in court a short time ago. he waived his right to a stand your ground hearing, which might have led to a dismissal of the charges. that's because florida stand your ground law allows for immunity if a defendant can prove he acted in self-defense.

you may remember zimmerman told police he shot the unarmed 17-year-old in self-defense during a struggle over zimmerman's gun. today's decision does not prevent his attorneys from arguing for immunity before the trial, which is set to start on june 10th. in los angeles, the first witnesses in the michael jackson wrongful death trial are about to take the stand. the family is suing jackson's concert promoter, aeg live, for negligence in his 2009 death. they want billions of dollars for money jackson might have earned on his futures. lawyers for the promoter have prepared an aggressive defense. they warned jurors in opening statements it's going to get ugly. the search for a little girl's killer is intensifying as her family tries to deal with unimaginable loss. police vow they won't stop until they find whoever killed 8-year-old leila fowler. stephanie elam has the latest. >> reporter: it's a community

trying to make sense of the senseless. an 8-year-old girl brutally killed in her home, the assailant still on the loose. >> it's rough. i mean it happens right around the corner from my house. i have lived here my whole life. >> reporter: leila fowler was mortally stabbed saturday afternoon while home with her 12-year-old brother in valley springs. a quiet northern california community, far removed from city life. >> shatters that illusion, you know, that we're immune to the society, if you will. >> reporter: her brother reported seeing a male intruder in their home before discovering his severely wounded sister. one friend says children in the family are traumatizes, especially the boy who found leila. >> when we saw him, it was pure shock. i don't know how many times i wrapped my arms around him and i wanted to take it away. >> reporter: the sheriff's department says it gathers some clues from the home. >> we did collect some fingerprints during that search. we also collected what we believe to be dna.

those prints in that dna will hopefully be processed within the next week. >> reporter: authorities also say they have nearly completed searching and contacting all sex offenders in the area. >> we will not rest until we capture the responsible person. we will continue to beef up our patrols in this area until we figure they're no longer needed. >> reporter: in a statement, leila's mother asked their community for help. >> we are devastated. if someone is helping hide him, turn him in. look at our baby girl. she didn't deserve this. she was so full of life. we want everyone to remember the good in her and not how she was taken from us. >> reporter: some neighbors are doing their best to honor the family's wishes. >> it hit home a lot with me having kids and this town just shows support for one another. it doesn't matter what it is. they just all come together. it's always been like that every since i've lived here. >> stephanie elam is joining us

now. stephanie, police say they don't really have what they call a prime suspect in this case, at least not yet. tell us what more you're learning about the investigation. >> reporter: well, wolf, police are saying that they do have some leads and they have gotten descriptions about what the killer may have looked like. the problem is they don't exactly match up and that's the reason they haven't put out a composite. what they are doing is beefing up security around schools, bus stops, around the city so that people feel the security and hopefully as they go through tips, because they do have leads they're hoping to narrow down who may have done this. >> i know the people in the community, must be scared, nervous, there's a killer on the loose right now. gives a little sense of the reaction there. >> reporter: this is a kind of town, wolf, where people are far removed from where they think are the normal ills. people saying this thing doesn't happen here in valley springs,

people leave cars unlocks, doors to the houses unlocked as well. with the news, because the killer has not been caught, people are on edge and many people, everybody here, holding their children much closer to their side because they want to make sure they can keep them safe while they don't know who perpetrated this murder. >> we saw a billboard saying there's a vigil for leila tonight 7:00 p.m. local time. what's go on? >> reporter: yeah, they are putting this together. they've been planning it for a couple of days. one russ dent we spoke to, just a few minutes ago, telling us they expect there could be more than 600 people here coming from surrounding communities as well. it's going to be held at leila's elementary school where she attended third grade and asking everyone to wear purple and pink. boys, asking them to wear purple, for the girls wear ping, because those were leila's favorite colors. a lot of people expected to come to the candlelight vigil to honor the family, honor the memory of leila, many said she

was i a girl full of life and her parents are expected to attend the vigil tonight as well, wolf. >> all of us hope they find the killer quickly. stephanie, thanks very much for that report. stephanie elam reporting for us in california. home prices they are rising at the fastest rate in more than six years. a closer look at the bright spot in the u.s. economy. look what mommy is having.

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>> president obama may need to reserve time on his calendar to have a drink with senator mitch mcconnell, after all. the senator was a punch line in one of the president's jokes during the white house correspondence dinner saturday night. here what happens the president said then. >> some folks still don't think i spend enough time with congress. why don't you get a drink with mitch mcconnell, they ask? really? why don't you get a drink with mitch mcconnell? >> funny line. mcconnell camp responded by tweeting out this photo which shows him sitting at a bar with two drinks and empty seat. the tweet reads "greetings from coal country hazard kentucky" the photo a nod to clint eastwood's empty chair review at the convention. the "cnn newsroom" continues right now.

this is a special "cnn newsroom." i'm wolf blitzer in washington. some real signs of progress in housing market today. figures released for february show home prices rose faster, get this, faster than anytime since 2006. christine romans joining us from new york right now. christine, the report says home prices climbed, what, 9.3% from the same time last year? that's very impressive. what's driving the increase? >> well, very low interest rates, cash buyers, wolf from all over the world, quite frankly. there's not a lot of inventory in some places. if you want to buy a house, you have to pay up for it because there aren't a lot of choices for it. all of those things coming together. wlo look at price increases. the fastest year over year spike in home price is since